The Phillies signed a veteran utilityman to fill out their Triple-A infield, which is missing the team's top prospect and a few others to injury.
The Phillies added some more veteran depth to their Triple-A roster on Friday, signing 29-year-old utility infielder Sergio Alcantara to a minor-league deal and adding him to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs' roster.
A switch-hitter, Alcantara has accrued 506 major-league plate appearances over four seasons for the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Padres, Tigers and Giants. The bulk of his time came with Chicago and Arizona. Like most utility infielders, Alcantara is more glove than bat. He's hit just .207/.278/.340 in the majors but does have a .382 on-base percentage in nearly 1,500 plate appearances at Triple-A. He had the best offensive stretch of his career to end last season, hitting .315/.435/.470 for Triple-A Reno in the D-backs' system after being designated for assignment by the Giants. Alcantara then signed a minor-league deal with the Nationals and was invited to spring training this year then released on Tuesday, leading to the Phils picking him up.Alcantara has over 7,000 innings of experience at shortstop in the minor leagues with another 990 at second base. That's where he'll play for the IronPigs, who have an infield that consists of Christian Cairo, Carter Kieboom, Robert Moore, Liover Peguero and Alcantara. In Lehigh Valley's season-opener on Friday night, Kieboom played third base, Cairo was at short, Peguero started at second and catcher Caleb Ricketts played first base. Mixing in Alcantara will allow Peguero to slide over to first base, where he spent the most time in spring training.Several key IronPigs are sidelined by injury. Top prospect Aidan Miller would have been on the left side of the infield every day to start the season but he didn't play at all in spring training because of a persistent lower back issue. Miller is still not swinging a bat. He is limited to glove work and his throwing program. The Phillies are moving slowly with him, but his progress has been slow as well. Miller was not going to make the Phillies' major-league team out of camp but this is still a crucial first half and season for him. In a perfect world, the Phils can slot him in at third base next season if/when Alec Bohm walks in free agency. But they'll need to see him stay on the field and perform at Triple-A to feel comfortable that he's ready for the majors as early as 2027. Every bit of lost developmental time counts.• Corner outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. is the closest to returning. He is "doing everything baseball-wise except playing in a game," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said on Opening Day. Rincones missed all of spring training with tendinitis in both knees. He received a PRP injection back in December and expected to recover faster than he did. • Keaton Anthony, who played exclusively first base in the minors but is now listed as an outfielder after working out there in spring training, has a broken bone in his foot from fouling a pitch off it midway through camp.A Philly sports lifer who grew up a diehard fan before shifting to cover the Phillies beginning in 2011 as a writer, reporter, podcaster and on-air host. Believes in blending analytics with old-school feel and observation, and can often be found watching four games at once when the Phillies aren't playing.Rockies vs. Marlins Prediction, Odds, Probable Pitchers, Prop Bets for Friday, March 27MLB Teams Are Offering the Saddest 9-9-9 Beer/Hot Dog Challenges at Games This Season
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